Memoradum submitted by Paul Caradino,
Director of Policy, National Association for the Care and Resettlement
of Offenders (NACRO)

FORTHCOMING EVIDENCE ON 4 DECEMBER FROM BEVERLEY
HUGHES AND MARTIN NAREY

It would be helpful if the Committee could raise
with the Prisons Minister and Director General a question on these
lines:

The recent joint thematic report on prisoners'
resettlement by the Prison and Probation Inspectorates, "Through
the Prison Gate" found that: "Despite some examples
of excellent practice, partnership arrangements between prisons
and outside agencies were not widespread." Do the witnesses
agree that partnerships with voluntary sector organisations are
crucial to the effective resettlement of offenders, particularly
in providing help with housing, employment, mentoring and help
with addictions?

Will they consider drawing up a national strategy
for the involvement of the voluntary sector in prisoners' resettlement,
and doing so in partnership with the voluntary sectorfor
example, by discussions with the Alliance for Reducing Offending,
which is an alliance of the voluntary agencies working with offenders?

Nacro's view is that there needs to be a national
policy decision that in every prison there should be a resettlement
teamnot a collection of individuals with other responsibilities
but a proper staff team (like the prison's Education Department).
Its members would work in partnership with the prison and probation
services but they should have the specific remit of assessing
and meeting prisoners' practical resettlement needs. Members of
the team should:

 Speak to prisoners at every induction
course about the team's services;

 Interview every single prisoner,
remand or sentenced, who enters the prison and assess their resettlement
needs;

 Takeor help the prisoner to
takeimmediate action on housing or job protection wherever
possible;

 Draw up a practical resettlement
plan for all prisoners;

 Do housing advice work (the team
should have a budget to hold open beds);

 Do job preparation and job search
work;

 Co-ordinate regular input to the
prison from outside agencies which can help with prisoners' resettlement;

 Make links with community projects;
and

 Run pre-release courses.

There should also be community based resettlement
teams in each area who would be responsible for arranging mentoring,
identifying job and training opportunities, and providing continuing
"floating support" for ex-prisoners placed in housing
and employment, as well as providing a source of help and advice
to housing providers and employers who take ex-offenders. With
appropriate resourcing, these teams could be managed by voluntary
resettlement organisations with experience in dealing with the
practical resettlement needs of prisoners.